The Call For Sensible Laws Mount

America's Love-Hate History with Pot.  By historical standards, today's federal ban on possession of marijuana may eventually be viewed as something of an aberration. The domestic political debate over opiates has unmistakable racist overtones, in the legal treatment of affluent users who have tried marijuana -- and poorer Americans arrested on drug possession charges who are unable to navigate the legal system. Among numerous other reasons pointing toward legalization.